The Pope County Sheriff’s Office has been contacted by several Pope County residents who’ve received phone calls from individuals that they believe are trying to scam them. Some callers claim to be relatives needing money, some state the person has won the lottery, and some say the person has an arrest warrant for not reporting for jury duty.

Authorities want to emphasize that these are scams.

The calls from individuals claiming to be relatives that are in another country, such as Mexico, and they need money to pay for car repairs, traffic fines, or attorney fees. Before sending any money out of the country to a relative, make sure you know where that relative is and check with other relatives to see if they have any additional information about the caller’s story.

Second, the individuals claiming that they have won an out-of-state lottery say that in order to collect the winnings, one must send a cashier’s check or money order ($425 in one case) to receive the $1,600 pay out. Do not send them money.

Thirdly, the people receiving phone calls regarding warrants are told their names appeared in the local newspapers for not reporting to jury duty and an arrest warrant has been issued with a $500 fee. The caller may ask for your social security number or date of birth, so they can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Before you pay on a warrant, contact the Sheriff’s Department or your local police department to verify that you do have a warrant for your arrest.

Remember: Do not give your full name, date of birth, social security number, phone number, bank account number, or credit card number over the phone unless you know for sure who you are talking to.

If you have any questions please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (479) 968-2558.